The Business Of Conspiracy Theories
Freemasons cut the brakes on Princess Diana's Mercedes. Scientists at Area 51 have successfully reverse-engineered an interstellar spacecraft. And there's a fully-functional subterranean city underneath Washington, D.C., ready for the president and U.S. Congress to relocate to, should the Elders of Zion authorize their Beijing subsidiary to launch an ICBM first strike. If you believe that, or at least find any of it plausible, congratulations. You might be susceptible to being exploited for financial gain, which is exactly what they want you to think.
Conspiracy theories have probably been around for centuries, but it's only recently that the dissemination of the unverifiable has become an industry unto itself. While publicizing secrets to expose corruption and hypocrisy is a laudable goal, some conspiracy theorists don't seem all that concerned with the veracity of what they claim. If their fanciful theories and loaded questions can translate into money, all the better.
Conspiracy Theory PeddlersThe most "mainstream" conspiracy theory peddler operating today doesn't necessarily fit the stereotype of broadcasting via shortwave radio from an underground bunker. Quite the contrary. He's a former governor, and a speculative future presidential candidate. He also spent six years as an employee of the same federal government that he currently rails against - though granted, that time was spent in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team, predecessor of the SEALs.
That'd be Jesse Ventura. The erstwhile non-partisan former chief executive of Minnesota is the most recognizable face of an industry committed to setting the record straight about such calamities as the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 and 9/11, even though the record as it stands is as straight as it'll ever be. (Note: Muslim terrorists, and not the White House, were responsible for the World Trade Center attacks). Ventura has written seven books since entering (and then exiting) politics, and as time has progressed, the book titles have gotten more provocative and shocking. His first book, written while in office, is subtitled "Reworking The Body Politic From The Bottom Up." More recent titles include "63 Documents The Government Doesn't Want You To Read" and "DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODicans."
Does Ventura make money from his books that threaten to uncover the truth about … well, almost everything? Ventura would be financially successful even if he'd never written a word, enjoying lucrative careers as both a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator (not to mention a brief film career in the 1980s). While it's easy for any famous person who wants one to get a publishing deal, especially when that famous person has plenty to say, the politically unaligned Ventura showed his independent streak by signing with an unheralded publisher.
Ventura's books have sold in the thousands. At an average list price of $15, and assuming standard author royalties of 15% for such a relatively successful print run, and then assuming that Ventura gets $3 for every $2 that his less famous coauthor receives, that's still a ton of money. That goes relatively far in Ventura's adopted home of rural Baja California, Mexico, but it isn't enough money to change an already affluent man's life.
Ventura's auditory counterpart is Alex Jones, host of an eponymous radio show that purports to tell the unvarnished truth about everything from the concentration camps that President Obama might be preparing to hold us captive in to the hypocrisy of the Federal Reserve. Jones's show is broadcast on 60 stations, distributed by a network far smaller than industry titans such as CBS Radio and Premiere. Jones boasts almost 300,000 YouTube subscribers, but that's hardly a financial indicator. (Rush Limbaugh, the most successful terrestrial radio personality in the nation, has no YouTube subscribers.) However, rough estimates put Jones's net worth at a not unsubstantial $5 million. Which is a lot of logo coffee mugs and t-shirts. Jones is a household name only in selected (and well-fortified) households, but his devotees are ardent in their fandom.
Exploiting ParanoiaThat being said, is exploiting the paranoia of the misinformed a path to riches? Signs point to "No." For every brilliant self-promoter such as Ventura or Jones, there are dozens if not hundreds of others whose oddball theories about the New World Order and the Kennedy Assassination not only don't stand up to scrutiny, but can't be monetized. Concocting alternate realities almost never translates into wealth, a few notable exceptions notwithstanding. But tell that to the independent blogger who's convinced that his airtight explanation of how aliens brought the AIDS virus to Earth is being silenced by the media-industrial complex. To generalize, the same minds that consider fluoridated water to be a Communist plot are going to be similarly gullible regarding the success of for-profit endeavors.
The Bottom LineIt's fun and flattering to assume that you're privy to knowledge that the general population is not. And of course, it's not exactly news that politicians and their mouthpieces lie to us at least as often as they tell the truth. But if being among the few enlightened enough to know "the truth" is a path to making lots of money, the conspiracy theorists are hiding their riches awfully convincingly. I guess it's still the consumer's responsibility to recognize these scams, and stop them in their tracks if they want to avoid falling (and paying) for these deceiving lies themselves. Some are more obvious than others, however, and some are more entertaining than others, too.
known scams 911tuth.org and syndicated groups they are scams theses are political groups attached directly to The Libertarian National Socialist Green Party LNSGP, is an American organization that cites the National Socialist German Workers Party as its primary ideological inspiration, while also claiming to have incorporated elements of Libertarianism and the Green movement.
presents an ideological platform that combines three precepts — personal freedom, environmental improvement, and collective action — prioritized in that order. It identifies the National Socialist German Worker's Party ("Nazi") party of Adolf Hitler as its "ideological ancestor" and its symbol is the swastika on a green background (as opposed to the red background of the Nazi swastika). The site claims to borrow elements from libertarian, environmentalist, anarchist, and national socialist groups, and some European Pagan movements. The group has never been connected with the Libertarian Party or Green Party in the US and holds positions contrary to the core tenets of both.
LNSGP associate Craig Smith called the party "in many ways, a postmodern reinterpretation of the historical NSDAP", and said it "is about bringing about a more traditional form of society and government while keeping a progressive attitude regarding human quality as well as cultural and scientific achievement." He expresses opposition to "the absolute hegemony of technology and money", and the alienation of "a normalized commerce-dictated global society". He claims not to "hate blacks" or view them as "inferior", yet believes them alien to "Indo-European society" (as he sees whites in Africa, who he thinks "should be repatriated"). He expresses support "for everyone to retain their ancient heritage and that no people should be forced to conform to a universal standard." The LNSGP is suspicious of "absolute universalism and moralism", which it believes, "has its origins in Middle Eastern religious dualism (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and, to a lesser extent, Islam) and "their modern secular offshoots (e.g., humanism, liberalism, Marxism, etc
The LNSG claims its worldview clearly is against movements such as White nationalism and racial supremacy. The LNSG also claims it is the only "party" that represents Nazism as it was primordially and as it should be worldwide.
The LNSG believes that Nazism is a universal ideology that can be used and applied by any race, tribe, or ethnic group. It claims that Nazism has been distorted by various White nationalist and supremacist movements and actively promoted by the mainstream media and press as being "evil".
The LNSG claims the media unfairly shows Nazism as an inherently violent and bigoted ideology that should be suppressed at all costs. It holds that with all the opposition facing Nazism today, bigoted racists do not help to improve the image of Nazism.
apparently attaching it to conspiratorial fiction about 91101 terror attacks does
Conspiracy theories have probably been around for centuries, but it's only recently that the dissemination of the unverifiable has become an industry unto itself. While publicizing secrets to expose corruption and hypocrisy is a laudable goal, some conspiracy theorists don't seem all that concerned with the veracity of what they claim. If their fanciful theories and loaded questions can translate into money, all the better.
Conspiracy Theory PeddlersThe most "mainstream" conspiracy theory peddler operating today doesn't necessarily fit the stereotype of broadcasting via shortwave radio from an underground bunker. Quite the contrary. He's a former governor, and a speculative future presidential candidate. He also spent six years as an employee of the same federal government that he currently rails against - though granted, that time was spent in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team, predecessor of the SEALs.
That'd be Jesse Ventura. The erstwhile non-partisan former chief executive of Minnesota is the most recognizable face of an industry committed to setting the record straight about such calamities as the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 and 9/11, even though the record as it stands is as straight as it'll ever be. (Note: Muslim terrorists, and not the White House, were responsible for the World Trade Center attacks). Ventura has written seven books since entering (and then exiting) politics, and as time has progressed, the book titles have gotten more provocative and shocking. His first book, written while in office, is subtitled "Reworking The Body Politic From The Bottom Up." More recent titles include "63 Documents The Government Doesn't Want You To Read" and "DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODicans."
Does Ventura make money from his books that threaten to uncover the truth about … well, almost everything? Ventura would be financially successful even if he'd never written a word, enjoying lucrative careers as both a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator (not to mention a brief film career in the 1980s). While it's easy for any famous person who wants one to get a publishing deal, especially when that famous person has plenty to say, the politically unaligned Ventura showed his independent streak by signing with an unheralded publisher.
Ventura's books have sold in the thousands. At an average list price of $15, and assuming standard author royalties of 15% for such a relatively successful print run, and then assuming that Ventura gets $3 for every $2 that his less famous coauthor receives, that's still a ton of money. That goes relatively far in Ventura's adopted home of rural Baja California, Mexico, but it isn't enough money to change an already affluent man's life.
Ventura's auditory counterpart is Alex Jones, host of an eponymous radio show that purports to tell the unvarnished truth about everything from the concentration camps that President Obama might be preparing to hold us captive in to the hypocrisy of the Federal Reserve. Jones's show is broadcast on 60 stations, distributed by a network far smaller than industry titans such as CBS Radio and Premiere. Jones boasts almost 300,000 YouTube subscribers, but that's hardly a financial indicator. (Rush Limbaugh, the most successful terrestrial radio personality in the nation, has no YouTube subscribers.) However, rough estimates put Jones's net worth at a not unsubstantial $5 million. Which is a lot of logo coffee mugs and t-shirts. Jones is a household name only in selected (and well-fortified) households, but his devotees are ardent in their fandom.
Exploiting ParanoiaThat being said, is exploiting the paranoia of the misinformed a path to riches? Signs point to "No." For every brilliant self-promoter such as Ventura or Jones, there are dozens if not hundreds of others whose oddball theories about the New World Order and the Kennedy Assassination not only don't stand up to scrutiny, but can't be monetized. Concocting alternate realities almost never translates into wealth, a few notable exceptions notwithstanding. But tell that to the independent blogger who's convinced that his airtight explanation of how aliens brought the AIDS virus to Earth is being silenced by the media-industrial complex. To generalize, the same minds that consider fluoridated water to be a Communist plot are going to be similarly gullible regarding the success of for-profit endeavors.
The Bottom LineIt's fun and flattering to assume that you're privy to knowledge that the general population is not. And of course, it's not exactly news that politicians and their mouthpieces lie to us at least as often as they tell the truth. But if being among the few enlightened enough to know "the truth" is a path to making lots of money, the conspiracy theorists are hiding their riches awfully convincingly. I guess it's still the consumer's responsibility to recognize these scams, and stop them in their tracks if they want to avoid falling (and paying) for these deceiving lies themselves. Some are more obvious than others, however, and some are more entertaining than others, too.
known scams 911tuth.org and syndicated groups they are scams theses are political groups attached directly to The Libertarian National Socialist Green Party LNSGP, is an American organization that cites the National Socialist German Workers Party as its primary ideological inspiration, while also claiming to have incorporated elements of Libertarianism and the Green movement.
presents an ideological platform that combines three precepts — personal freedom, environmental improvement, and collective action — prioritized in that order. It identifies the National Socialist German Worker's Party ("Nazi") party of Adolf Hitler as its "ideological ancestor" and its symbol is the swastika on a green background (as opposed to the red background of the Nazi swastika). The site claims to borrow elements from libertarian, environmentalist, anarchist, and national socialist groups, and some European Pagan movements. The group has never been connected with the Libertarian Party or Green Party in the US and holds positions contrary to the core tenets of both.
LNSGP associate Craig Smith called the party "in many ways, a postmodern reinterpretation of the historical NSDAP", and said it "is about bringing about a more traditional form of society and government while keeping a progressive attitude regarding human quality as well as cultural and scientific achievement." He expresses opposition to "the absolute hegemony of technology and money", and the alienation of "a normalized commerce-dictated global society". He claims not to "hate blacks" or view them as "inferior", yet believes them alien to "Indo-European society" (as he sees whites in Africa, who he thinks "should be repatriated"). He expresses support "for everyone to retain their ancient heritage and that no people should be forced to conform to a universal standard." The LNSGP is suspicious of "absolute universalism and moralism", which it believes, "has its origins in Middle Eastern religious dualism (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and, to a lesser extent, Islam) and "their modern secular offshoots (e.g., humanism, liberalism, Marxism, etc
The LNSG claims its worldview clearly is against movements such as White nationalism and racial supremacy. The LNSG also claims it is the only "party" that represents Nazism as it was primordially and as it should be worldwide.
The LNSG believes that Nazism is a universal ideology that can be used and applied by any race, tribe, or ethnic group. It claims that Nazism has been distorted by various White nationalist and supremacist movements and actively promoted by the mainstream media and press as being "evil".
The LNSG claims the media unfairly shows Nazism as an inherently violent and bigoted ideology that should be suppressed at all costs. It holds that with all the opposition facing Nazism today, bigoted racists do not help to improve the image of Nazism.
apparently attaching it to conspiratorial fiction about 91101 terror attacks does
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